As part of a Golden Generation which proved to be incredibly disappointing, Steven Gerrard has now revealed where his England side went wrong and why he “hated” international duty.
Who was part of England's Golden Generation?
To this day, it beggars belief that a generation involving Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes and so much more failed to ever win a trophy. From goal-line controversy in the 2010 World Cup to Rooney’s stamp on Cristiano Ronaldo in 2006, there’s far more moments to forget than there are to savour, but how many stars did this generation really have?
England's Golden Generation divided by club rivalries
To put into context just how many talented players England had at their disposal in the 2000s, their starting line-up when they crashed out against Portugal on penalties in 2006 included Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves, Ashley Cole, John Terry, David Beckham, Frank Lampard and Rooney. It couldn’t have got much better than that.
Alas, silverware never arrived and the failure of that generation remains one of England’s greatest regrets. It makes the task of the current generation even greater, too.
Whilst the 2000s featured Gerrard, Rooney, Lampard, Beckham and others, the 2026 World Cup squad is likely to feature Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden. Once again, the pressure is on.
Whether the Three Lions have learned from their mistakes at Euro 2024, which saw them lose against Spain in the final late on, or from their mistakes at the 2022 World Cup, where they crashed out in the semi-final against France, is the big question.
The Golden Generation never quite learned and many have had their say as to why that proved to be the case, including Gerrard. The former England captain has now revealed where his side went wrong and why he “hated” international duty.
Gerrard slams "egotistical losers" in England generation
Speaking about England’s failiure to use the Gerrard, Scholes and Lampard trio, Gerrard dubbed the Golden Generation “egotistical losers” and said he “hated” England duty because of the divide in the camp between club rivals.
The former midfielder said: “I hated it. I didn’t enjoy it. Hated the [hotel] rooms. In my early days, I’d have days where I was down, like low down. Like I’m in this room for seven hours, what am I going to do.
“There was no social media, we didn’t have a DVD player or anything. Channel 1 to 5 or whatever it was on TV. I used to get low and down.
“I used to love the games.
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“I used to love playing for England. I was really proud. I used to enjoy the training sessions but it was 90 minutes a day. And then I was just on my own. I didn’t feel part of a team. I didn’t feel connected with my team-mates with England.
“I didn’t feel that with Liverpool. They were the best days of my life. I felt like the staff looked over me, like I felt special. I felt like I couldn’t wait to get there. With England, I just wanted the games and the training sessions and then to be away.”
